Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to reflect the true sexual preferences of any of the characters mentioned herein. Truthfully, I don't know if any of the WWE superstars are gay, including John Cena, and even if I did, I would respect them enough to not go blurting it out in a public forum. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!
"You look a little uncomfortable there, buddy," Wes commented. Jeff sat in the booth, squirming, trying to discreetly scratch his balls through his jeans. He just looked at Wes, seated to his left, with a look of discomfort on his face. Across the table, John let out a barely audible chuckle while taking a swig from his bottle of Bud Light.
Jeff diverted his gaze to John. "You're such an asshole...," he muttered.
"Whoa! What was that all about?!" Ty interjected, leaning forward to look past Wes at Jeff.
"He stole my underwear," Jeff said, gesturing across the table toward the shady character with his beer, looking around, aloof, as if he had no idea what was going on. He had his hat pulled down so that brim rested just above his eyes. "I'm not used to this whole free- ballin' thing--it chafes...it chafes." He accented his statement by blatantly scratching his balls this time.
The guys all laughed. Alex, seated across from Ty, chimed in. "Well, I guess it's good you shave down there and all. I'll rub 'em down with some baby oil when we get back if ya want." He waited a moment for the guys to crack up. Instead, looking around, he saw all the repulsed faces at the table. "I'm such a gay...," he said, bowing his head.
"Aww, it's ok, buddy," John said, sliding over and putting his arm around Alex's shoulders. "You guys are a really freaky bunch! And hey, Jeff, man. I have no clue what you're talkin' about with the underwear thing. You know I'd never do somethin' like that."
"Psh! Yea, ok..." Jeff took a swig from his Corona. "I've known you maybe seven hours, and I know that you would do somethin' like that."
John, who still had his arm around Alex, looked at Jeff with a look of hurt on his face. "I'm hurt," he said, putting his left hand to his chest. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his lips were all pouty--he looked cute as hell, quite frankly. Turning his attention toward Ty, he extended his open hand out, looking for support. "Ty...buddy...would I ever do something like that?"
"Nah, man! Jeff's always makin' shit up like that," he replied.
"Yea, he's probably got 'em on right now; he just wants an excuse to play with his balls," Wes added.
John laughed, looking over at Jeff with a kind look in his eyes, as if to say 'I'm just teasin' ya.' He topped it off with a warm, little smile, as he released Alex and slid back over to his spot.
Jeff flipped into defense mode. "You know what," he scoffed, "fuck you guys! I gotta go to the bathroom; get me another beer." Ty slid out of the booth, followed by Wes to let him out. He stormed off in a huff as the guys slid back into their seats.
"I feel bad now," John declared, once Jeff was out of earshot.
"Nah, don't feel bad," Wes said. "This is how we always are. He's not really pissed--we just do it all for laughs. We're constantly bustin' each other's balls and actin' like we're upset or something. I dunno--I know it sounds weird. Just no idea how else to explain it..."
"Nah, I gotcha," John answered. "I just hope he's not actually pissed about us teasing him and me taking his underwear. I know you guys are easy-goin' and all, but, sometimes, I know a guy can only take so much. Jeff's a really cool guy, and I don't want him to hate me being we just met and all." He started playing nervously with his beer bottle, feeling a sense of regret at the thought of haven taken things too far.
Just then, the waitress walked up to the table with a tray full of baskets of various burgers and fries for the guys. "Here you go, fellas! One Royal Red Robin Burger." Alex raised his hand. "One Monster Burger." Wes raised his hand. "One Bacon Cheeseburger."
"That's me!" Ty exclaimed.
The waitress continued. "One Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Burger--no mayo." John raised his hand. "I got one more here...one 'Shroom Turkey Burger?"
John answered, "Ohh yea, that's Jeff's. I'll take it--he's just in the bathroom." Taking the basket from the waitress, he, carefully, placed it across from him where Jeff was sitting.
"Alright, then," she quipped, as if to say 'TMI.' "Can I get you guys anything else?"
John answered, again, "He wanted another Corona--I'll take another Bud Light."
"I guess I'll take another Coke--I hate being 20, watchin' you bastards with your damn beers," Ty scoffed.
The waitress laughed and looked to the remaining two. "How 'bout you's two?"
"Nah, I'm good," Wes replied, holding up his Yuengling bottle and tipping it toward the waitress. He wanted to take it easy with the alcohol, being it was a Monday night and he had an 8 o'clock class the next day, but he couldn't resist having one to celebrate with Jeff.
"Me, too," Alex added. Being the most responsible one, even though one might not expect it, he opted to be a good boy and just stick to cola. He turned toward John, taking on an uncharacteristically serious tone. "I don't think he really was pissed. You're just not used to the way we are around each other. If he is, though, he'll cool off and come back like nothing happened. He definitely is cool like that. He's like our best friend. I mean, he's all about having fun and making the most out of life. He refuses to let little things bother him anymore, since, well, I probably shouldn't say anything..."
John looked a little confused. "What is it," he asked, wanting Alex to continue.
The mood at the table became somewhat somber. Not sure how to continue, the boys looked around at each other, as if they were asking one another what they should do. Wes broke the silence. "Well, you see, Jeff had cancer a couple years back. He had to miss a year of school and everything while he was out fighting it. He's fine now, but it kinda changed his whole outlook on things, ya know? That and there's that fear about the chance of it always coming back and stuff. He just wants to be able to do all he can with himself now in case, God forbid, that were to happen. Every day is important to him. He's definitely been though a lot, and he's one tough dude--I dunno how he handled it as well as he did, aside from all the other shit he's had to deal with in his life..."
"Hey, hey!" Jeff interjected, rounding the corner and appearing, suddenly, at the head of the table--he definitely didn't appear angry or upset. "Did I miss anything?"
"Nah, son!" Ty, enthusiastically, answered back. "Our shit's here, though." The crowd at the table all perked up to make it seem like nothing was going on.
"Well, let me in, asshole!" Jeff shot back. "I'm starvin' and want me some of that 'Shroom Burger!" Ty and Wes slid out again so Jeff could hop back in to his seat. Before sitting down completely, he took notice to Wes's Monster Burger. "Christ, you're such a fatty." Wes just responded by pinching Jeff's nipple, causing an impromptu slap fight between the two. Eventually, they settled down and composed themselves.
"What took you so long? Were you pooping in there?" Alex questioned. Jeff just smiled and shook his head while the others laughed. The waitress returned soon after Jeff did with the drink refills, as the five went into eating mode. The conversation died down a little bit as they were eating, but there was still some random chatter going on here and there amongst the group. John, however, hadn't really said much since Jeff got back from the bathroom. Instead, he kept looking up at Jeff, intermittently, saddened by the story he had heard earlier. Eventually, Jeff became aware of John's unusual silence and tuned to look at him; his face was expressionless, absent of that fire and energy that it typically had as he stared down at the table, mindlessly tossing fries around in his basket.
Concerned, Jeff asked, "Everything alright?"
John's head shot up, making eye contact with Jeff. Slowly, he returned his attention to the basket. "Ohh yea, I'm fine. I think I just might be a little tired or somethin'. No big deal," he said.
"Yea, I hear that," Jeff replied, attempting to sympathize, even though he could tell something was up. He didn't want to push the issue, however, and just let it drop. Inside, though, he was hoping that he hadn't done something wrong.
The boys slowly finished up one-by-one. The waitress had already dropped off the check, and the staff at the restaurant had begun to clean up around them. Curious, Jeff pulled out his phone and noted that it was 12:15--the restaurant had closed at midnight. He didn't want the night to end, but he couldn't fight the fatigue he was experiencing as he stifled back a yawn. "Should we pay and get out of here?"
"I got this, fellas--don't worry about it," John declared, whipping out his wallet. He pulled out a hundred dollar bill and placed it in the checkbook. Looking around, he saw a bunch of stunned looks on the boys' faces. Chuckling, he asked, "What?"
"Wow...," was all Alex could manage to get out.
Wes attempted to clarify the situation. "Well, you see, we're kinda broke-ass college students. We don't exactly get to even see C-notes like that very often."
John let out another chuckle. "Well, that's why I don't mind payin' for all you guys. My way of thanking you for a night out. Otherwise, my ass would probably be back at the hotel room right now, flippin' through channels, tryin' to find something to do to keep from goin' crazy."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Ty, randomly.
"I can't wait to make some money like that," Jeff added, nudging Wes to get out of the booth. The five fellas slid out of the booth and strolled out into the parking lot. Ty led the group, pulling out his clicker to unlock the Jetta. John put his arm over Jeff's shoulder, pulling him into a mock headlock. The two just giggled, slightly buzzed, engaged in their childhood antics. Jeff threw some fake punches to John's gut, making phony sound effects when each blow "landed." Finally, he pushed him off, only to have John smile and playfully tussle Jeff's hair. The group arrived at Ty's car first, which was parked a row closer to the restaurant.
"Well, I guess it's time to go," Wes commented. Alex whined loudly like a child at bedtime. Jeff sighed, genuinely sad that it was time to part ways.
John spoke up. "Alright, fellas. It was awesome meetin' you guys." Wes, Ty, and Alex all approached John, in turn, exchanging hand shakes and shoulder bumps. He then looked at Jeff, holding his gaze for a second. "Hey, you guys mind if I talk to Jeff for a minute?"
"Nah, it's cool--take your time," Wes responded, being the last one to climb into the car. "It was great to meet you too, though, bud. You're always welcome to come stay at our apartment if you're ever around this way again. We'll kick Jeff out of his bed and make him sleep on the 'mono couch.' "
John just laughed. "Do I wanna know?"
Wes answered, "Nah, it's just I had mono last year and that's mostly where I slept at the time. It's this hideous green couch that we still have hangin' around. But yea, just let us or Jeff know when you're in town or whatever--we'll have to buy a keg or somethin'."
"Sounds like a plan. You boys take care of yourselves," John said.
The three boys got settled into the car and started it up as Jeff somberly followed John to his rental car. John unlocked the car, slipping into the driver's seat and twisting around to rummage through the back seat. He re-emerged from the car as Jeff approached with a pair of AE camo boxer briefs in hand. Closing the door, he leaned up against the car. "I think these belong to you," he declared.
Jeff snatched the underwear from John. "Yea, thanks...ya prick," he quipped.
"Yea, I'm sorry, " John said, being legitimately apologetic and looking down at the ground.
"Aww, nah bud, don't worry about it," Jeff uttered, patting John on the shoulder. "You sure everything's okay?"
"I dunno...," John retorted. "You just seemed pissed when you went to the bathroom earlier. I didn't know if you were mad at me for ribbin' ya or with us teasin' ya back there and everything."
"Please," Jeff laughed. "That's just how we always are. Stealing underwear, ball busting, and pretending to be pissy is just the norm. If anything, I should be the one that's sorry for takin' it too far and fuckin' with your head, being you don't really know us well enough yet and all."
John cut him off. "Oh, no, no, no. You're totally cool man. The guys explained everything to me. I just--well--they told me about somethin' else, and I hope it's okay that they told me..." He paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head. "They told me about you bein' sick..."
"Oh yea, that...," Jeff muttered.
"Are you okay?" John asked quickly, concerned, needing to be immediately reassured.
"Oh yea--nah--I'm fine. You know, I did what I had to do and--yea--it's all good now. Cancer-free for like a year and a half now," he said, briefly throwing up his arms in mock celebration.
John nodded his head and smiled, biting his bottom lip. He just looked so cute and vulnerable with that face--Jeff could have kissed him right there had he not feared getting his ass kicked or ruining his future by doing it. After a few moments of silence, John quickly wrapped Jeff in a hug. Jeff was surprised and even slightly amused at the display, seeing as he wasn't as concerned about his own health as other people were. "I just wish there was somethin' I could do," John said.
To this, Jeff chuckled, wrapping his arms around John, returning the hug. He loved being this close to him, but he didn't want it to be obvious that he was enjoying it way too much. He wasn't sure what John was wearing, but he smelled great, making Jeff space- out for a minute. Finally, he snapped out of it and said, "There's nothing to do, man--I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me." Jeff then pulled back from John, releasing the hug before he continued. "I don't want you goin' off, havin' me on your mind, tormenting you and stuff."
"It's not like that," John said. "I just consider you a friend now, and I wanna make sure my friends are doin' okay, ya know?"
Jeff nodded. "I'll remember that every time I see you take a nasty bump on TV now."
"Shit man, then you'll have a panic attack every time you watch Raw; I get my ass kicked every week!" The two shared a laugh at that comment.
"Yea, that's true--you do..." Jeff quipped.
"Hey, watch yourself, or I'll FU right here on this car!" John exclaimed.
"Sounds kinda kinky...," Jeff retorted. He gave a sly smile, knowing his jocular comment was well played.
John smirked, punching Jeff in the chest. "You're such a freak...," he said.
"Damn, and you're abusive," Jeff said, rubbing his chest. "You say you're all concerned about your friends' well-being and then you go and beat the shit out of 'em!"
"Man, you better toughen-up if you wanna be in the WWE, cause that was nothin'!" John exclaimed.
"Ohh please, I'm only playin'...," Jeff retorted. Suddenly, he glanced over at the Jetta, becoming conscious of the fact that the boys had been sitting in the car for a while now, waiting, while he talked with John. "Well, I really hate to run, but I feel bad that they've been sitting here for a while now. But like Wes said, if you're ever around, definitely stop by. We'd be more than happy to have ya. Should we trade numbers and whatnot, assuming you trust me with it?"
"Oh definitely! Here, go ahead and put it in my phone." John handed his phone over to Jeff, who, in turn, handed his over as well. "Let's see if I know how to work this thing," he scoffed. Jeff quickly punched in his number and saved it under the name 'JJ-Money :)'. After flipping the phone shut, he stood and watched John struggle for a few minutes, trying to navigate the touch screen controls and applications. John looked up, catching Jeff staring at him. He started to get slightly flustered, embarrassed that he was getting nowhere with this electronic enigma. "I'm so retarded with this kinda stuff...," he said, tugging nervously at his hat.
As much as the sinister side of Jeff wanted to let this uncomfortable moment for John fester, being it was strangely adorable, he decided not to let him suffer. "Here, I'll get it," he said, retrieving the phone from John. "What's your number?" John gave Jeff his number, which he hastily punched into the phone. "Alright, cool," he said, sliding the phone back into his pocket. Letting out a sigh, he stuffed his hands into his pockets as well before he continued. "Well, I guess I better get goin'..."
"Yea, me too--I guess. I gotta get up kinda early to get to Reading for the next show and all tomorrow. But hey, I had an awesome time. Hopefully, I'll get to see ya again soon," John declared, pulling Jeff into another quick hug.
"You take care of yourself, John," Jeff said.
"You too, kid," he replied, releasing Jeff from his strong-armed grasp.
"Later," Jeff exclaimed as he turned to walk toward Ty's car. John got back in and shut the door, starting up the rental. Jeff was about halfway to the Jetta when he heard John again.
"Hey, Jeff!" John screamed, leaning out the window.
"Yea?" Jeff answered, spinning around to look at him.
"Call me if you need anything, alright," he said, flashing his gorgeous smile.
"Will do, sir!" Jeff shouted, giving a weak marine salute to John.
"Nah, I'm serious!" John shot back. "If you need anything, just let me know. I'll be in touch. And again, don't worry; the bosses'll be givin' ya a call any day now, too."
Jeff chuckled. "Yea--sure--sounds good, bud. I'll catch ya later," he waved, watching as John backed out of the space and promptly peeled out of the parking lot, shooting the crew a wave as he drove past. Ty laid on the horn in response, startling Jeff a little bit. He waited a moment before entering the car, leaning on the roof, watching John's car drove off out of sight. Finally, he hoped in the back seat, finding Alex practically passed out in the front seat and Ty playing with his phone behind the wheel. Wes, however, was waiting for him.
"Aww, is somebody in love? You were out there for a while, weren't ya?" he questioned, mockingly. Apparently, Jeff wasn't doing a good job of hiding his pouty demeanor upon entering the car. When he didn't respond, Wes took the hint that it wasn't the best time to joke around with him. With a pat on the shoulder, he said, "I'm sorry--I'll leave ya alone."
Jeff, weakly, looked at Wes. "Sorry. I don't mean to be a dick. I guess it's just been a long night..." Turning his attention, he said, "Hey, Ty--man. Let's get out of here."
"Yes, sir," he responded, with his usual pep. He put away his phone and shifted the car into 'drive,' pulling out of the parking lot. The ride back to campus was pretty quiet, except for the rock music playing softly on the radio. Wes and Alex had both fallen asleep while Jeff just stared, pensively, out the window at the passing landscape. His mind kept replaying the events of the evening, from being in the ring to seeing all the different superstars--it was all so surreal. No matter what he did, though, his mind kept going back to John. As more and more time passed, Jeff's sadness and frustration grew, making him his own worst enemy. Here he was, developing somewhat of a crush on a celebrity figure and hating himself every minute for it. He felt so childish and illogical, which wasn't like him at all. Leaning his head against the window, he closed his eyes, attempting to clear his thoughts and end this inner conflict that was tearing him apart. The rattling of the car window against his skull was strangely placating, granting Jeff some tranquility and allowing his mind to rest...
"Wake up, ya assholes!" Ty's shouting made Jeff jump, while Wes and Alex slowly started stirring.
Alex groaned, "Ugh, you're such a vag..."
"Well, what the fuck--we're here! Get the hell out!" Ty announced. He hopped out and ran around to the back of the car, popping the trunk, while the other three slowly poured out of the vehicle. Jeff deliberately snatched his bag out of the trunk, indifferently trudging toward the apartment with the rest in tow, stuffing his recovered underwear into a side-compartment of the bag. Wes raced up ahead with his ID card, sliding it through the card reader to unlock the door to the building. He held it open for the rest, allowing Jeff to lead once again to the first floor apartment door. Effortlessly, he unlocked the door and headed straight for the bedroom, dropping his bag on the floor--Wes came in shortly after.
He yawned, "It's so good to be back. I'm goin' to bed. You cool?"
"Yea," Jeff replied. "I'm just gonna brush my teeth and head to bed myself. Thanks for bein' there tonight, man."
Wes scoffed, while hopping up into bed. "You know it's no problem. That's what friends are for. And, besides, it was an awesome night--do it again, anytime."
Jeff just smiled, comforted in knowing that he had such great friends. "Thanks. G'nite, man."
"G'nite," Wes responded, rolling onto his side and throwing his blanket over him.
Jeff turned and exited the bedroom, seeing that Ty and Alex had already gone to bed as well--their bedroom door was closed. Flicking on the bathroom light, he snatched his toothbrush out of the holder and cleaned his teeth really quick. Afterward, he returned the toothbrush to its proper place and headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. With drink in hand, he trudged back into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him. It sounded like Wes was already asleep, but he couldn't be sure. He dropped the glass off on his desk, along with his phone that was in his pocket. Hoping that Wes was asleep-- being he wasn't wearing any underwear--he started to get undressed. It wasn't like it would have been a big deal if Wes happened to see Jeff naked, but he was bashful about it anyway.
The only light in the room was coming from the screen saver on Jeff's laptop, displaying a slideshow of pictures of friends from various parties that semester. First, he undid his buttonflies, letting them fall to the floor. Gingerly, he stepped out of them, peeling off his shirt and socks next. While rummaging through his closet for his pajama bottoms, he tossed the discarded clothes into his hamper. The shirt, however, got caught on the side of the hamper, drawing Jeff's attention. At second glance, he noticed it was one of the t- shirts John had given to him. Upon the realization, he immediately got that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach again as a result of missing John. Dejected, he found his loose fitting, polka-dot bottoms that he had purchased while working at the GAP a few years ago, slid them on, and climbed into bed. As he closed his eyes to go to sleep, he heard the text message alert go off on his phone. Throwing his blankets off, he climbed down to the foot of his bed, confused, to check his phone. Reaching it, his eyes focused to the light of the phone. On the display, the message read, "John Cena: G'nite, JJ-Money :)." Immediately, Jeff's mood changed, as he went to bed that night with a smile on his face.
I've been trying to put more effort into writing this story, so that it wouldn't take me as long to get the installments out, but it still seems like it still took me forever--I apologize. More to come, hopefully more sooner than later. Who knows, I might even have another installment out by the time WWE actually releases Cena's new t-shirt, that I ordered a while ago and keeps getting pushed back! Sorry, I just needed to vent about that
Send your questions, comments, and concerns out to ITSMonkeywolfnoz@aol.com. Have a nice day! :)